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Pharmacare

  • Federal Health Funding to Alberta Needs Strings Attached to Protect Public Health Care

    OTTAWA — Tomorrow, Canada’s Premiers will be in Ottawa to meet with Prime Minister Trudeau to discuss health care funding.

    For months, Friends of Medicare, other health coalitions, and health care advocates across the country have been calling for an increase to the Canadian Health Transfer, and have held that any new agreement to fund public health care must be used in the public interest and not be allowed to be used by Premiers to privatize health care in their provinces.

    Alyssa Pretty

    Written by Alyssa Pretty
    February 06, 2023

  • Federal meeting with premiers on health care planned for February 7 in Ottawa

    OTTAWA — Prime Minister Trudeau announced today he will be meeting with premiers of provinces and territories in Ottawa on February 7, 2023 to talk about the health care crisis. The planned First Ministers meeting is the culmination of a months-long campaign by the premiers to convince the federal government to send billions of dollars more in funding to provinces through the Canada Health Transfer.

    Alyssa Pretty

    Written by Alyssa Pretty
    January 25, 2023

  • As Liberals meet before Parliament returns, broad coalition of unions and progressive groups says pharmacare extremely urgent

    OTTAWA – As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet gather in Hamilton for a three-day retreat, a broad coalition of unions and progressive groups says that implementing a comprehensive pharmacare program must be a top priority for the Liberal government. The cost-of-living crisis has significantly increased cost-related obstacles to Canadians’ access to prescription drugs, while high drug prices are draining billions of dollars from hospitals’ budgets.

    Alyssa Pretty

    Written by Alyssa Pretty
    January 24, 2023

  • An update from our Executive Director

    This week marks a full year since I began my role as the Executive Director of Friends of Medicare. The year has truly flown by! I am honoured to be doing this work alongside all of you.

    I want to take a moment to reflect on the year that’s been, and where we are headed in 2023. Below are some of the highlights from key areas we’ve been focused on at Friends of Medicare.

    Written by Chris Gallaway
    January 20, 2023

  • Insulin Pump Decision Shows Albertans Fighting Back Can Win

    This morning, the Government of Alberta reversed course on previously announced changes to the Insulin Pump Therapy Program following backlash from Albertans.

    In May, the lives of 4,000 Albertans with diabetes and their families were thrown into chaos and uncertainty when the government announced sudden changes to the Insulin Pump Therapy Program. Albertans responded quickly, sending more than twenty thousand letters to their representatives, speaking out against these changes and the destructive impact they would have on their households and communities. Shortly after, the government announced a pause to those changes, and today reversed course completely.

    Friends of Medicare

    Written by Friends of Medicare
    July 21, 2022

  • Short-sighted cuts to insulin pump program will cost Albertans more for the care they need

    Yesterday, the provincial government announced changes to its insulin pump benefits program, impacting up to 4,000 Albertans with diabetes. Instead, people will have to seek coverage via private workplace insurance plans, or government benefit plans, potentially leaving many Albertans subject to costly co-pays and premiums.

    Alberta’s complex patchwork of private and public drug and supplementary health benefit plans has left far too many of us struggling to pay for the medications and treatments we need. An estimated 420 working-aged Canadians with diabetes die each year because they don't have adequate access to their medications.

    Friends of Medicare

    Written by Friends of Medicare
    May 04, 2022

  • Albertans Need Pharmacare

    We need our governments to support a universal, public drug plan for ALL Canadians. 9 in 10 Albertans support national #pharmacare — let's make sure our govt hears this loud & clear. Add your voice!

  • Federal Budget Expansion of Dental Coverage Good News for Alberta Children

    More work still needed on universal pharmacare, long-term care standards, paid sick leave, the drug poisoning crisis, and protecting public health care in Alberta

    This afternoon the federal government tabled their budget for 2022-2023. It included items laid out in the Confidence and Supply Agreement with the NDP, most notably: adding dental care coverage for children 12 and under this year.

    “Dental care is health care. Yet far too many Albertans have long been forced to forego necessary dental procedures due to cost-related barriers to access, and entrenched economic inequality,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “The dental care commitment in today’s federal budget is good news for Alberta children, and we’re hopeful this will be the first step towards truly universal public dental care for all.”

    Friends of Medicare

    Written by Friends of Medicare
    April 07, 2022

  • Friends of Medicare Reaction to the Federal Confidence and Supply Agreement

    Today’s agreement between the Liberals and NDP includes concrete action on universal Pharmacare and dental care in Canada

    Christopher M Gallaway

    Written by Christopher M Gallaway
    March 22, 2022

  • Any new federal health funding must be targeted towards stronger public health care in Alberta

    Premiers' demand for federal dollars through increased Canada Health Transfer must have strings attached to ensure it goes to improving health care for all


    The Council of the Federation, made up of the 13 provincial and territorial premiers, are meeting tomorrow with a focus on their united push for an increase in the Canada Health Transfer that the Federal government provides. Over the past two years, many of the premiers have used the ongoing pandemic as a justification to call for an unconditional increase in health funding. 
     
    “Even during this global pandemic our provincial UCP government has repeatedly shown they can’t be trusted to prioritize our public health care system over their ideological push for corporate tax cuts, layoffs, funding cuts and privatization,” said Chris Gallaway, Executive Director of Friends of Medicare.
    Friends of Medicare

    Written by Friends of Medicare
    February 03, 2022

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